Rail-joint.



No. 658,964. Patented Oct. 2, |900.

w. F. SELLERS.

RAIL Jomr.

(Applcationled My 23, 1900.)

hmmm 1 UNITED STATES'- PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. SELLERS, OF GALLITZIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,964, dated October 2, 19 00.

Application iiled May 23, 1900.

T0 all whom it muy concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. SELLERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at `Grallitzin, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful RailJoint, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail-joints, and has for its object to provide an improved rail-v chair for supporting the abutting ends of adjacent rail-sections and also to provide an improved fish-plate having an interlocked engagement with the chair, so as to aord a rigid and durable connection between the two rail-sections and to dispense with the use of transverse bolts. It is furthermore designed to facilitate the application of the interlocked iish-plate, so that the rail-sections may be readily connected and disconnected, and also to provide for raising the abutted ends of the rail-sections should they become depressed.

With these and other objects in View the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will behereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of two abutted rrail-sections connected by means of the present rail-joint. a central transverse sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the interlocked connection between the fishplate and the rail-chair. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the detachable and interlocked fish-plate.

Corresponding parts are designated by like characters of reference in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a substantially-rectangular rail-chair, which is provided'at one side with an upstanding longitudinally-'disposed iange 2, forming a fixed inner fish-plate, which is undercut, asA shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to receive the flanges of the opposite rail-sections 3 and 4. This fish-plate also projects a suit-able distance at serai No. 17,729. No man.)

opposite ends of the chair. At the opposite outer side of the chair there is provided a longitudinal upstanding flange or rib 5, which is provided with a plurality of transverse openings 6, each of which has a downwardlyconvexed upper wall 7, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. Midway of the opposite ends of the chair the upper face thereof is provided with a transverse groove 8, which opens outwardly through the opposite longitudinal edges of the chair and `has its base inclined downwardly toward the rib'or iiange which latter is provided with a transverse notch 9 to communicate with the adjacent end of the groove. The opposite end of the groove passes beneath the base of the xed fish-plate or iiange 2, as best shown in Fig. 2.

The detachable sh-plate 10 is annular in cross-section, as usual, and is provided with an enlarged intermediate portion l1 and the opposite reduced end portions 12. The outer edge of the intermediate portion of the fishplate provides a straight upstanding wall or shoulder 13, from which projects outwardly an intermediate lug 14, which has an outwardly-rounded or convexed upper face l5 to form a finger-piece, as will be hereinafter explained. Arranged at equal intervals at opposite sides of the lug 14 is a plurality of ,hook-shaped projections 16, which are disposed intermediate of the upper and lower edges of the wall or shoulder 13 and have ltheir bills or outer extremities cur-ved uplwardly and inwardly. Fig. 2 is In the application of the device the railsections are placed in the'seat'formed between the two [ianges of the chair, the distance between said flanges being suflicient to permit of the rails being applied from the top of the chair. After the rails have been thus seated the detachable fish-plate is inverted, and the hooks 16 are engaged with the openings in the rib 5 from the inner side, when the plate is rocked inwardly and downwardly upon the hinged connection between the same andthe rib until said plate is seated against the flange `of the rails and its upper edge engages beneath the projecting portion of the treads of the rails. A transverse wedge 17 is then driven into the groove S from the rib side of the chair, so as to bind the detachable fishplate against the rails and to support the adjacent ends of the latter, which are located over the groove and otherwise would have no support. The inner end of the wedge projects at the inner side of the chair and is provided with a screw-threaded extension or pin 18. `Loosely receiving the projecting end of the wedge and bearing againstI the side of the chair is a cap 19, and fitted to the pin is anut 20, which bears against the outer end of the cap, so that the wedge may be drawn inwardly by tightening upon the. nut. It will now be seen that the upper face of the Wedge is level or horizontal, so as to fit snugly against the under sides of the fianges of the rails, and is beveled upon its under side to correspond with the inclined base of the groove. Should any of the parts of the joint become loose or the ends of the rails become depressed, the wedge may be tightened, so as to tighten the entire joint and to raise the ends of the rails.

To prevent longitudinal movement of the rail-sections, suitable transverse fastenings 21 may be employed, although they are not absolutely necessary, and the outer edge of each fish plate is provided with suitable notches 22 for the reception of an ordinary spike or track-fastening 23, as shown in Fig. l.

In disconnecting the joint the nut 2O is removed and the wedge driven out of the groove, when the finger-piece or lug la may be pressed inwardly and downwardly, so as to rock the detachable fish-plate upwardly and outwardly upon its hinged connection with the rib 5, whereby the plate may be entirely removed to permit of the rail-sections being taken from the rail-chair.

From 'the foregoing description it will be seen that the present invention provides an exceedingly simple and durable form of railjoint in which the parts thereof are few in number, arranged for the convenient assemblage and removal thereof, and are effectively interlocked, so as to prevent looseness and to take up any sag in the joint.

What is claimed isl. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed longitudinal fish-plate, an opposite longitudinal fish-plate, which is hingedly connected to the chair and swings vertically toward and away from the fixed fish-plate, and a wedge driven between the hinged fishplate and the chair and disposed transversely of the fish-plate, said wedge forming a lock for the hinged fish-plate.

2. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed fish-plate at one longitudinal edge, and an opposite longitudinal rib, a removable fish-plate to fit against the inner side of the rib, and a transverse wedge located between the fish-plates and the chair.

3. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed fish-plate, an opposite upstanding longitudinal rib, an opposite tishplate having a detachable hinged connection with the rib and bearing against the inner side thereof,

and a transverse key extending beneath the hinged fish-plate for locking the same.

4. A railjoint, comprising achair, having a fixed fish-plate, an opposite longitudinal upstanding rib, an opposite fish-plate having a detachable lug and slot hinged connection with the rib and bearing against the inner side thereof, and a transverse key extending beneath the hinged fish-plate for locking the same.

5. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed fish-plate, and a transverse groove, an opposite hingedly-connectedfish-plate, and a wedge-shaped key driven into the groove to lock the hinged fish-plate.

6. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed longitudinal fish-plate, an opposite longitudinal upstanding rib, and an intermediate transverse groove opening at one end through the rib, and at the opposite end beneath the fish-plate, an opposite fish-plate, having a hinged connection with the rib and bearing against the inner face thereof, a wedge driven into the groove from the rib side of the chair, and a fastening device for the thinner end of the wedge.

7. A rail-joint comprising a chair, having a fixed fish-plate, an opposite hingedly-connected fish-plate, a finger-piece for rocking the latter fish-plate, and means for locking the same.

8. A rail-joint, comprisinga chair, having a fixed fish-plate, and an opposite upstanding rib,a movable fish-platehingedlyconnected to the rib, and provided with an intermediate outwardly-projecting finger-piece projecting through a recess or opening in the rib, and means for locking the movable fish-plate.

9. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having a fixed fish-plate, and an opposite upstanding rib, having a plurality of openings, a movable fish-plate having a plurality of hookshaped lugs hingedly engaging the openings of the rib, and means for locking the movable fish-plate.

10. A rail-joint, comprising a chair, having an integral fish-plate, an opposite integral upstanding rib, provided with an intermediate notch or recess in its upper edge and opposite openings, and a transverse groove opening outwardly through the intermediate notch in the rib, a movable fish-plate, having an intermediate finger-piece located within the intermediate notch, and opposite hook-shaped lugs hingedly engaging the openings in the rib, and a Wedge-shapedkey driven through the notch in the rib and into the groove in the chair to lock the movable fish-plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto axed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM F. SELLERS.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. SELLERS, HERMAN E. CRoUsE.

IOO 

